Container closing apparatus



April 18, 1961 w. J. RINGEL ETAL CONTAINER CLOSING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 2, 1959 flTTOXNEYS April 18, 1961 w. J. RINGEL ETAL CONTAINER CLOSING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 2, 1959 I I k BY Ki) mm m Wmw mm {m m mm,

April 18, 1961 w. J. RINGEL ETAL 2,979,874

CONTAINER CLOSING APPARATUS Filed July 2, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 CONTAINER CLOSING APPARATUS Walter J. Ringel and Jack M. Wheaton, Toledo, Ohio,

assignors to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed July 2, 1959, Set. Nb. 824,588

Claims. c1. 53-311 The present invention relates to improvements in container closing apparatus and more particularly is concerned with the provision of simple effective means for securely holding bottles or jars during the application of closure caps thereto and securing such containers against bodily movement upwardly at the time of retraction of closure cap applicators away from the affixed closure caps. I

An important object of our invention is the provision of novel and elfective means for insuring proper registry of the lugs of closure caps with corresponding lugs of a receptacle to be sealed by the former prior to the application of such cap affixing top pressure to the closure cap as could and often does cause glass breakage and/or serious cap distortion if the lugs are not properly related before actual threading of the cap onto the receptacle begins.

Our invention is especially adapted for use in container closing apparatus wherein bottles or jars, while in normal upright position, move through a closure cap affixing zone and thence to a sealed container discharging station and while moving through said zone have closure.

caps secured thereto by means of vertically reciprocating applicators. A machine of this general type is shown in Everett. Patent No. 2,705,101, issued March 29, 1955. The closure caps may be either of the conventional screwthreaded type or the well-known side seal snap-on type..

If screw-threaded caps are being applied, each applicator will incorporate a rotary chuck for initially supporting and then threading the cap onto a threaded finish or neck of a container. Under the just described conditions each container preferably should be held against rotation about its own axis or if rotated at all it must be to a minimum extent and in a counter-clockwise direction, assuming conventional right-hand threads are formed on the container and closure. Even though side seal snap-cap closures are used, it still is desrable to firmly hold the containers against any independent bodily movement either axially or laterally. In both situations, upward movement or separation of the closure cap applicator from the applied caps is difficult of attainment from time to time and often the entire sealed jar or bottle will be raised with the applicator incident to retraction of the latter and cause severe jamming of and damage to the closing apparatus as well as breakage of other containers.

An object of our invention is the provision of simple and efiective means for firmly holding the bottles or ja'rs' against any objectionable independent movement during the application-ofv closure capsthereto and posinel member which is secured to the upper end of a ver-" tively retaining the sealed containers against any upward movement whatsoever at the time of retracting the closure applicators.

Other objects will be in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawings: 7

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view with parts in section showing a rotary type container closing apparatus incorporating our invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view partially in elevation taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view.

apparent and in part Fig. 5 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of our application Serial Number 687,711, filed October 2, 1957, titled Container Closure Apparatus, allowed March 26, 1959, now forfeited.

In the illustrated embodiment of our invention, it is shown incorporated in a rotary type machine which may be substantially as disclosed in the above identified Everett patent. The machine comprises a base 10, a drum or housing 11 mounted upon the base and enclosing driving mechanism (not shown) for rotating a vertical centralv column 12 which rises from a turntable 13 and carries in.

spaced relation to .the latter a peripherally pocketed I spacer14. This spacer 14 may well be a horizontal ring secured to the column 12 and provided with an annular series of recesses 15 or pockets in which the body por-i tions of bottles or jars 16 fit and by means of which they are uniformly spaced along such periphery. A takeout star wheel 17 (Fig. l) operates to remove these bottles. or jars from the spacer 14 following sealingof such containersand delivers them to a conveyor or other handling device (not'shown). 1 V H As has been indicated above, our. inventionprovides means for firmly holding jars or bottles against excessive, if any, rotation during the closure cap applying operation and later on against both lateral and axial bodily movement during the separation of closure cap applica,-'

tors from applied or aflixed closure caps. For the purpose of holding the bottles or jars against excessive rotation and in firm contact with the walls of the peripheral. recesses 14, or pockets, we arrange in the closure cap aflixing zone A cushion means comprising an elongated arcuate cushion block 18 of resilient material, such as, The innermost curved face 19 of this element is concentric wlthand spaced radially outwardof and in the same horizontal plane as the pocketed spacer 14. A holder20 forthe rubber or some rubber composition.

cushion block 19 assumes the form of an elongated chantical bracket 21. The lower end of this bracket is a.

slotted horizontal flange 22 secured to the base 10 by. means of lock bolts 23 which. extend through slots 24 in,

said flange 22. By means of this bolt and slot connection, it'is possible to move the entire unit radially inward or outward as may be required by differences in the diameter of the bottles or jars being handled and/or the desired pressure of the cushion device upon the articles.

or otherwise afiix closure caps 26 to the respective jars of bottles. Obviously these applicators 25 will rotate about their individual axes in the event screw-threaded closure caps are involved but if the closure caps are of the conventional snap-on type will merely have a vertical reciprocating motion. In either event, it is important that immediately upon completion of the closure cap atfixing operation and initial retraction of the applicators there should be complete separation of the applicators from the applied closure caps. Otherwise it is possible that the entire sealed jar or bottle will be elevated with an applicator with the result that the mechanism becomes seriously jammed and filled. containers. may become.

broken.

To avoid the latter condition, a gripper. arm.27, is mounted in proximity to the star wheel 17. and operates to apply lateral holding pressure to thesealedcontainers so thatthey are firmly gripped between said arm 27 and thewalls of the pockets or recesses 15 and thereby secured against both lateral and axial movement independently of thespacer at the time the closure cap applicators 25 move vertically upward after having performed their specific functions.

This arm 27 is of substantial length and is mounted for horizontal swinging. movement toward and away from the axis of the machine proper upon a vertical hinge pin 28 which may, if desired, be carried by the aforementioned cushion block holder Zil. This is best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The free end of this arm 27 is formed with an elongated arcuate surface 2% adapted for contact with the bottles or jars one at a time as they enter the pockets 17 of the star wheel 17. The other end of this arm 27 is formed with a depending finger 29 which together with an L-shaped bracket 30 supports a rod 31 and expansion coil spring 32, the latter functfoning to normally yieldingly urge the free end of said arm 27 inwardly into the path of travel of the sealed bottles or ars.

Briefly reviewed, the operation involves continuous rotation of the turntable 13 in a clockwise direction with the bottles or jars 16 positioned in the pockets 1505 the spacer 14 and beneath closure cap applicators 25 which may be individual to these pockets. In the zone A, the applicators 25 are lowered to either snap 0r thread closure cap 26 onto the jars or bottles 16. Here the cushion block 18 firmly engages the containers holding them against any excessive independent rotary movement. In the event there is any rotation of the containers about their vertical axes, it will be of very slight extent and in aIcounter-clockwise direction so as not to interfere with normal application of threaded closure caps. As

these closed. containers move into the pockets of the.

star wheel 17, the gripping arm 27 presses them firmly into the pockets 15 of the spacer 14 thereby positively preventing any undesired lateral or axial movement and insuring separation of the retracting applicators from the sealed containers.

In Figs. 4 and 5, We have illustrated our novel means for insuring proper registry of the closure cap lugs 26 with the mating lugs 16= of the receptacle or jar 16 prior to application of such top pressure to the closure as might easily cause glass breakage, cap distortion or only partial affixing of the closure, if the lugs were not accurately registered.

The chucks, or applicators 25, are each scparably connected to the lower end of a vertical spindle 35 which is mounted both for rotation and axial movement in a bearing 36, the latter carried by a frame member 37. Above this bearing 36 the spindle is provided with a sleeve 38 which is telescoped over the spindle (Fig. 5) and slidable in a guide 39. A pinion 40 at the upper end of this spindle 35 runs in mesh with a fixed ring gear 41. Thus with circumferential movement of the spindle about theuaxis of the central column 12 vthepinion-.isrotated; by;said gearand.correspondinglyrotates thechuck 25. A-

39 and restricts downward movement of the spindle in said guide. A cushioning coil spring 43 encircling the spindle 35 between a lower ring 44 mounted thereon and the lower end of the sleeve 38 provides yielding connection between said sleeve and the cap chuck 25.

A cam roll 45 is mounted upon the sleeve 38 (Figs. 4 and 5) and runs in a box cam 46 which is carried by a cam drum 47 encircling the column 12. This cam in an area 48 above substantially the point of entrance into the aforementioned zone A slopes downwardly to permit lowering of the spindle and closure cap carrying chuck relative to the receptacle therebelow. In this sloping area 48 the cam roll path is widened vertically whereby to permit the previously mentioned additional axial movement of-the chuckand spindle when necessary to avoid glass breakage or cap distortion.

As a cap supporting chuck approaches .and enters: the zone A and the corresponding jar 16 initially contacts the friction or cushion block 18, the chuck lowers by gravity but under the control of the lower wall of the cam (see Fig. 4). The spindle and chuck are rotating also and the jar is rotating on its axis in a counter-clockwise direction, the reverse of the chuck and cap rotation. At the time the lugs of the cap and jar first interengage, the chuck and cap may and will move upwardly if the lugs are not properly registered. This is possible because of the clearance provided in the sloping section 48 of the cam just above the cam roll. Thus, if improper initial contact is' made between the cap and jar lugs, these lugs cam the spindle and chuck upwardly while both the jar and cap rotate. Quite quickly the lugs become properly registered and as the cap is threaded tioned above and advancing with each jar on the turntable, means .for rotating the chuck, cam means for moving the chuck vertically toward and away from the jars comprising a cam roll for each chuck, a box cam extending about said axis and in which each cam roll is guided and by which the. latter and a chuck are moved vertically, the cam having a sloping section for lowering the advancing roll and corresponding cap chuck, said sloping section. being wider vertically than adjacent por-. tions of the cam to permit limited free vertical movement of. the cam roll therein and corresponding movement of the chuck and a cap carried thereby relative to a. jarbeing capped and'means for positively bodily rotating the jars about their axes in a direction opposite that in which the closure caps are rotated during at least a part of the time a cam roll is movingdownwardly along the sloping section of the box cam.

2; The combination defined in claim 1, the jar rotating means being an arcuate section of friction cushioning material just above the turntable with one end substantially directly below the sloping cam section.

3. vThe combination defined in claim 1 there being a vertical spindle rising from the chuck, means for rotating the spindle, a sleeve telescoped over. a part of the spindle, said cam roll carried by the sleeve, and yieldingmeans being interposed between the chuck and sleeve.

4. The combination defined in claim 1, the chuckv being of the magnetic type.

positions thereon to closure cap afiixing and sealed container discharging zones, a peripherally pocketed spacer positioned above and concentric with the turntable for holding engagement with a body portion of the bottles, a vertically reciprocable closure cap applicator above and in register with each of the pockets, cushion means for applying lateral pressure to the bottles holding them in firm engagement with the pocketed spacer during at least a part of their travel through the closure cap affixing lateral pressure to the bottles and thereby effecting sufii-' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,748,960 Risser Mar. 4, 1930 1,835,335 Risser .Dec. 8, 1931 2,031,735 Risser Feb. 25, 1936 

